In the hadith books we read about an incident that happened with Muhammad when his infant grandson urinated on his lap and a sahabi named Lubabah Bint Harith offered to get him a change of clothes and she will wash the dirty ones. Pretty common occurence for parents I’m sure, but what is interesting is what Muhammad says to Lubabah regarding the urine:
.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، عَنْ قَابُوسَ بْنِ أَبِي الْمُخَارِقِ، عَنْ لُبَابَةَ بِنْتِ الْحَارِثِ، قَالَتْ بَالَ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ فِي حِجْرِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَعْطِنِي ثَوْبَكَ وَالْبَسْ ثَوْبًا غَيْرَهُ فَقَالَ “ إِنَّمَا يُنْضَحُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الذَّكَرِ وَيُغْسَلُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الأُنْثَى ”
It was narrated that Lubabah bint Harith said:”Husain bin ‘Ali urinated in the lap of the Prophet and I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, give me your garment and put on another garment.’ He said: ‘Water should be sprinkled on the urine of a baby boy, and the urine of a baby girl should be washed away.
Ibn Majah 522
.
This incident was also reported in Sahih narrations in Ibn Majah 526, Nasa’i 305, Dawud 376, from a servant named Abu Samh who was a witness to the incident.
Another similar incident occurred with the baby son of Umm Qais found in sahih-Muslim:
.
وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ حَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، أَنَّ ابْنَ شِهَابٍ، أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، أَنَّ أَمَّ قَيْسٍ بِنْتَ مِحْصَنٍ، – وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرَاتِ الأُوَلِ اللاَّتِي بَايَعْنَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهِيَ أُخْتُ عُكَّاشَةَ بْنِ مِحْصَنٍ أَحَدُ بَنِي أَسَدِ بْنِ خُزَيْمَةَ – قَالَ أَخْبَرَتْنِي أَنَّهَا أَتَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِابْنٍ لَهَا لَمْ يَبْلُغْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الطَّعَامَ – قَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ – أَخْبَرَتْنِي أَنَّ ابْنَهَا ذَاكَ بَالَ فِي حِجْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَدَعَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَاءٍ فَنَضَحَهُ عَلَى ثَوْبِهِ وَلَمْ يَغْسِلْهُ غَسْلاً
Ubaidullah b. Abdullah b. ‘Utba b. Mas’ud said: Umm Qais, daughter of Mihsan, was among the earliest female emigrants who took the oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah and she was the sister of ‘Ukkasha b. Mihsan, one amongst the sons of Asad b. Khuzaima. He (the narrator) said: She (Umm Qais) told me that she came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) with her son and he had not attained the age of eating food. He (the narrator, ‘Ubaidullah), said: She told me that her son passed urine in the lap of the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah sent for water and sprayed it over his garment and he did not wash it thoroughly.
Muslim 287c
.
This was also reported in Muslim 287a, 287b, Muwatta 2/112, Tirmhidi 71, Majah 524 and Dawud 374.
Aisha also recorded this statement from Muhammad in Majah 523, Muslim 286 a,b and c and Nasa’i 304.
As did Ali Talib in Dawud 378.
Because of this, it was practised and preached by the companions:
.
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي حَرْبِ بْنِ أَبِي الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، – رضى الله عنه – قَالَ يُغْسَلُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الْجَارِيَةِ وَيُنْضَحُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الْغُلاَمِ مَا لَمْ يَطْعَمْ
Narrated Ali ibn Talib: The urine of a female (child) should be washed and the urine of a male (child) should be sprinkled over until the age of eating.
Dawud 377
.
And:
.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي الْحَجَّاجِ أَبُو مَعْمَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ أُمِّهِ، أَنَّهَا أَبْصَرَتْ أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ تَصُبُّ الْمَاءَ عَلَى بَوْلِ الْغُلاَمِ مَا لَمْ يَطْعَمْ فَإِذَا طَعِمَ غَسَلَتْهُ وَكَانَتْ تَغْسِلُ بَوْلَ الْجَارِيَةِ
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu’minin: Hasan reported on the authority of his mother that she was Umm Salamah pouring water on the urine of the male child until the age when he did not eat food. When he began to eat food, she would wash (his urine). And she would wash the urine of the female child.
Dawud 379
.
No reason for this teaching is ever given by Muhammad, so scholars have come up with different ideas. Shaykh Uthaymeen sums up the different opinions:
.
أن الحكمة أن السنة جاءت بذلك ، وكفى بها حكمة ، ولهذا لما سئلت عائشة رضي الله عنها : ما بال الحائض تقضي الصوم ، ولا تقضي الصلاة ؟ فقالت : ( كان يصيبنا ذلك على عهد الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم فنؤمر بقضاء الصوم ، ولا نؤمر بقضاء الصلاة ) .ومع ذلك التمس بعض العلماء الحكمة في ذلك فقال بعضهم : الحكمة في ذلك التيسير على المكلف ، لأن العادة أن الذكر يحمل كثيرا ، ويفرح به ، ويحب أكثر من الأنثى ، وبوله يخرج من ثقب ضيق ، فإذا بال انتشر ، فمع كثرة حمله ، ورشاش بوله يكون فيه مشقة ؛ فخفف فيه . و قالوا أيضا : غذاؤه الذي هو اللبن لطيف ، ولهذا إذا كان يأكل الطعام فلا بد من غسل بوله ، وقوته على تلطيف الغذاء أكبر من قوة الجارية .وظا هر كلام أصحابنا (الحنابلة) أن التفريق بين بول الغلام والجارية أمر تعبدي .وغائط هذا الصبي كغيره لا بد فيه من الغسل .وبول الجارية والغلام الذي يأكل الطعام كغيرهما ، لا بد فيهما من الغسل
Sprinkling means putting water on it without rubbing or squeezing, until it covers the entire area. If it is said, What is the reason why the urine of a boy who is not eating food is sprinkled and not washed like the urine of a girl? The answer is that the reason is that this is what is enjoined in the Sunnah, and that is sufficient reason. Hence when ‘Aa’ishah was asked why a woman has to make up fasts that were missed because of menstruation but she does not have to make up prayers missed for the same reason, she said, “That used to happen to us at the time of the Messenger and we were commanded to make up the fasts and we were not commanded to make up the prayers.” Nevertheless, some scholars have tried to come up with the reason for that. Some of them said: the reason for that is that it is easier, because usually the male is carried a lot, and people rejoice over him and love him more than the female, and his urine comes out from a narrow opening, so when he urinates it spreads. Because he is carried a lot and washing his urine would be too difficult, so this concession was made. They also said: his nourishment which is milk is soft, so when he starts to eat regular food it becomes necessary to wash his urine. The apparent meaning of the words of our companions (the Hanbalis) is that differentiating between the urine of boys and girls is something that is prescribed in the Sunnah, so we follow it. The stools of infant boys, like those of others, must be washed. The urine of girls and boys who eat food is like that of anyone else, and must be washed.
Sharh Al-Munti 1/372
.
However Uthaymeen forgot to mention one more opinion, and that is of the Shafi school of Jurisprudence. This can be found in Ibn Majah 525:
.
قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُوسَى بْنِ مَعْقِلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ الْمِصْرِيُّ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ الشَّافِعِيَّ عَنْ حَدِيثِ النَّبِيِّ، ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ” يُرَشُّ مِنْ بَوْلِ الْغُلاَمِ وَيُغْسَلُ مِنْ بَوْلِ الْجَارِيَةِ ” . وَالْمَاءَانِ جَمِيعًا وَاحِدٌ قَالَ لأَنَّ بَوْلَ الْغُلاَمِ مِنَ الْمَاءِ وَالطِّينِ وَبَوْلَ الْجَارِيَةِ مِنَ اللَّحْمِ وَالدَّمِ . ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي فَهِمْتَ أَوْ قَالَ لَقِنْتَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لاَ . قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا خَلَقَ آدَمَ خُلِقَتْ حَوَّاءُ مِنْ ضِلَعِهِ الْقَصِيرِ فَصَارَ بَوْلُ الْغُلاَمِ مِنَ الْمَاءِ وَالطِّينِ وَصَارَ بَوْلُ الْجَارِيَةِ مِنَ اللَّحْمِ وَالدَّمِ . قَالَ قَالَ لِي فَهِمْتَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ . قَالَ لِي نَفَعَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ
Abul-Hasan bin Salamah said: “Ahmad bin Musa bin Ma’qil narrated to us that Abul-Yaman Al-Misri said: ‘I asked Shafi’i about the Hadith of the Prophet, “Water should be sprinkled over the urine of a baby boy, and the urine of a baby girl should be washed,” when the two types of water (urine) are the same. He said, “This is because the urine of the boy is of water and clay, but the urine of the girl is of flesh and blood.” Then he said to me: “Did you understand?” I said: “No.” He said: “When Allah the Most High created Adam, He created Eve (Hawwa’) from his short rib, so the boy’s urine is from water and clay, and the girl’s urine is from flesh and blood.” Then he said to me: “Did you understand?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “May Allah cause you benefit from this.”
Ibn Majah 525
.
Ultimately, we don’t know why Muhammad said this, but it is interesting to me that the explanations that the scholars give are scientifically inaccurate, sexist in nature and circular reasoning.
The Islam Issue 